Three Wrightsville officers under investigation

Tuesday

Jan 31, 2012 at 3:34 PMJan 31, 2012 at 4:42 PM

The names of the officers or the exact nature of the investigation were not released

By Julian MarchJulian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

Three Wrightsville Beach police officers are on paid administrative leave in connection with an internal investigation, Chief Dan House said Tuesday.Because of personnel laws, the town attorney advised House not to release the names of the officers or the exact nature of the investigation. “We haven’t finished everything up yet,” House said, though he added that most of the work was complete. The investigation began in mid-December. Two officers and a supervisor have been suspended, he said. A complaint from within the department prompted the investigation, which is based on a “series of events,” House said. He said disciplinary action probably would be taken. The State Bureau of Investigation has not been involved, House said, but the district attorney’s office has been made aware of the investigation because of open cases that may involve the officers. House said he did not expect the filing of criminal charges.“It’s more just policy issues,” he said. In a recent closed session, House briefed the town’s board of aldermen on the investigation.“We’ve had some discussions just to let them know there’s an investigation open,” he said.The department has 23 sworn officers and two support staffers. The suspensions have not lead to a lapse in police coverage, House said.Town Manager Bob Simpson said the town board would likely receive an update at its meeting Thursday.

Julian March: 343-2099On Twitter: @julian_march

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